


Secrets

by xantissa



Series: Bleeding Skies [5]
Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-13
Updated: 2012-07-13
Packaged: 2017-11-09 22:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/458923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xantissa/pseuds/xantissa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It was the first time, after the new Turks were formed, that he was alone with the Silver General.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets

Tseng kept his face impassive, his eyes fixed on a spot above Sephiroth’s shoulder and his hands linked behind his back, making damn sure he wouldn’t reach for the guns under his arms.  
It was the first time, after the new Turks were formed, that he was alone with the Silver General. Damn Hojo and his little plots to keep his prized experiment under his control.

As the disc from the surveillance the Turks were ordered to do on Zack Fair and Cloud Strife engaged on the media center, Tseng tensed. There was no way to predict how the General would react.

It was almost physical, how Sephiroth’s attention shifted, focused on the screen. He was still sitting in that half relaxed position in the ridiculously oversized chair of his. A position that was obviously designed to drive home the difference in power between Sephiroth and anybody else who happened to be there. 

Tseng did not need a reminder.

He watched Sephiroth from the corner of his eye, careful not to focus too much attention on him, not to make eye contact. More than anyone, Sephiroth could feel when somebody watched him, even through a camera. It was probably the... effect of being raised in a lab, and it made tailing him horribly difficult.

The man was beautiful in a noble, perfect way that made Tseng uneasy. He wasn’t a man of faith or honor, but the only words to describe the General were: distant, perfect, godly, sometimes eerie.

He wasn’t beautiful in a feminine sense of the word, but in the half realized, artistic way. His features were perfectly symmetrical, flawless, yet strong and male too. Even as a boy there was an overwhelming sense of masculinity coming from the General.

Now, at thirty, he didn’t look much older only... stronger. He was sure of his sexuality, of his power, and this self-possession drew attention to him like fire drew moths – stupid, unwary, powerless and doomed from the start. His uniform at first looked different. It was designed by PR staff to look intimidating and dangerous. They had him wear long leather coat full of buckles, that closed up from his throat all the way down. Long sleeves, heavy gloves and heavy boots, black dress shirt underneath, were all part of the image.

At first Sephiroth simply refused to buckle up the coat, claiming that it restricted his movements. Then the boy hit his puberty and open went the shirt, exposing the envy-worthy, rippled stomach. No one, not even Hojo expected Sephiroth to be this active sexually, especially with men. The Turks had a standing order to watch for any potential pregnancies and report them to Hojo, but that had never been an issue.

On the other hand it wouldn’t surprise Tseng to learn that Sephiroth knew about the order and chose his sexuality to be directed at the same sex deliberately.

As Tseng expected, detecting Sephiroth’s reaction to the video of Zack Fair having an obvious affair was impossible. It wasn’t even that his face was impassive. It wasn’t. It was just his eyes. It was them that made Tseng always so uneasy. The vertical, slitted pupils like a cat or a reptile were just too different, too alien to understand their expression.

Tseng saw them dilate and then contract rapidly while Sephiroth watched the recording, but it told Tseng nothing. He could see the reaction but he could not connect any certain emotion to it.

The recorded material was very thorough. It showed Fair and Strife meeting up on the academy grounds, inside Shinra Tower, going out for dates, into Midgar, kissing in secluded corners and, to close the deal, having sex in a hotel room. That one was hardest to record simply because those two rarely went all the way. Their relationship was so obviously loving it made even Tseng uneasy to record it for such purposes. 

He was the one to trail those two, the only one to make the compilation, the only one to witness it. He would not risk another unit by enraging the general. If somebody was going to pay for this, it was going to be Tseng himself. Never anybody else. Never again.

Sephiroth did not turn his gaze away from the screen, no matter what it was showing. He sat still and silent, one hand resting loosely on the armrest, just inches from the Masamune that was placed in special hooks designed especially for that sword, and the other was curled under his chin, giving the misleading impression of relaxation.

The General could not be this relaxed though. After all the disc showed clearly that the only person Sephiroth let in close enough to be a permanent lover, cheated on him. 

“Is that all?” The silver haired man asked after the screen went dark, his voice as low and smooth as always.

“Yes.”

As if anything more was needed.

Sephiroth suddenly made eye contact with Tseng.

“Who ordered this?” The General asked, making the Turk seriously consider breaking confidentiality. Scarlet wasn’t worth sacrificing Turks for.

“Very well.” The General spoke, standing up and sheathing his sword at his side in one fluid movement. 

Tseng would always feel ashamed for what he did then, but it was instinct.

He stepped back.

It was a mistake; he saw it immediately, by the fleeting smirk on Sephiroth’s face. 

“I must admit that Turks truly are fearless.”

Tseng stayed silent as the General started walking towards the door.

“I heard that Wutaians believe that every warrior has three lives. You are already two down with me, so think carefully before showing that recording to anyone else.”

“I understand.” Tseng answered as steadily as he could. That wasn’t an idle threat, he knew. He also knew that in the end the life of the prized General was worth much more than that of a Turk in this company.

Sephiroth showed no reaction.

It came as no surprise whatsoever, that when a few weeks later there was an attack on Scarlet, incidentally, all of the SOLDIERS assigned to her security detail, were conveniently absent.

The end.


End file.
